


Where The Lines Overlap

by goldenringboy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Relationship, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gay Chicken, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pretend Siblings, because they're not actually siblings they're just pretending to be, fake dating au but with a twist, kind of hints at incest but not actually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-09-19 14:49:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9446132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenringboy/pseuds/goldenringboy
Summary: "In the years they’d known each other, Keith had heard his fair share of weird requests from his boyfriend, and figured by now he had heard the strangest.He was dead wrong."-Aka the super self-indulgent 'Pretend We're Not Dating AU.'





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "You’ve got to pretend-date your best friend for a couple of weeks because reasons, and somehow that means we’re passing ourselves off as siblings to explain why we live together but we’ve started giving each other really filthy pre-sex looks behind everyone’s back like a game of chicken and pretty soon somebody is going to start to have serious concerns about our siblinghood."
> 
> I saw this and the fic practically wrote itself.
> 
> (also, B is a total enabler so yeah, dedicating this shit to her)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

In the years they’d known each other, Keith had heard his fair share of weird requests from his boyfriend, and figured by now he had heard the strangest.

He was dead wrong.

“Wait, let me get this straight…. you’re pretending to date Matt?” Keith asked incredulously, his voice cracking slightly.

Shiro winced, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“It’s just for Thanksgiving break,” he explained. “Matt said his parents keep hounding him about when he’ll finally bring someone home for the holidays, and I guess he told them that he was.” He sighed, studying the kitchen counter intently in an attempt to ignore the gaze burning into his skull.

The silence dragged on between the two of them, thick and heavy. Keith opened his mouth to speak, shut it again, struggling to find the right words to say. Irritation clawed at the back of his throat, desperate to lash out. His eyes squeezed shut, willing his anger down. It wouldn’t help the situation if he snapped at Shiro.

“Why… why you?” Desperation cracked at the walls he had built, his raw fear peaking through the gaps. He hated the sound of his voice. Hated how awkward he felt, hovering just out of the kitchen.

Shiro didn’t respond. Keith felt his chest tighten. It was becoming difficult to breath. He knew how much Shiro cared for him. He wouldn’t harm Keith?

Right?

After what felt like an eternity, their eyes met.

“Keith,” Shiro said, softly, his eyes never leaving Keith’s. “You know I would never do anything to hurt you.” Keith waited for him to go on, but Shiro kept his gaze expectantly. He realized with a start that Shiro was waiting for him to respond.

“Yeah,” he replied, not trusting himself to say more. He ducked his head, hiding the reddening of his face. A whirlwind of emotions spun around in his head. Every time he tried to settle on just one, it slipped from his grasp.

Keith heard Shiro step forward, and felt him pull him close. He buried his face into Shiro’s neck, in an attempt to hide his turmoil.

Shiro gave him a soft kiss on the top of his head. “Matt assured me that while this means a lot to him, there is nothing romantic about it. He wants to please his parents so badly. He was practically on his knees begging me,” he laughed softly at this. Keith did have to admit that the mental image was somewhat humorous. He smiled, a small tender thing; lips brushed delicately against Shiro’s neck, his breath ghosting against his boyfriend’s skin.

Shiro continued, “Matt’s my best friend. He’s been there for me so many times before. This is the least I can do for him.”

Keith knew his boyfriend. Knew how caring he was for his friends. Shiro had dropped everything to help Keith through many low points. How could he tell his lover to abandon his best friend? Keith may have been stubborn, but he could tell when he was simply being a hypocrite.

He raised his head, once again locking eyes with the taller man. The air around them stood still, but not in the same way it had moments ago. Gone was the heated, tense fog between them. A calmness filled the room, enveloping them in warmth. An understanding passed between the two.

Keith melted into Shiro’s body, wrapping his arms around the other’s waist. Shiro held him tight; still the post holding him steady through every storm.

Finally, Keith spoke.

“How long will you and Matt be ‘dating?’” There was no judgement, no accusation.

“The duration of Thanksgiving break,” Shiro answered, very matter of fact. The university had granted the students (and by association, professors and their teaching assistants), almost a full week off from classes. Keith had been looking forward to the downtime. Spending long days cuddling together in bed (among the many other things they’d be doing there), ending the week with a quiet and intimate meal with his partner.

His eyes widened in realization.

“You’ll be travelling to stay with his family.” It wasn’t a question. Shiro sighed, nodding. “And I…” Keith’s words dragged off. The awkward silence was slowly creeping back in. Keith was alone; he had nowhere else to go for the holiday. He had spent every holiday for the past few years with Shiro. A knot was forming in the pit of his stomach.

Fortunately for Keith, he was dating Shiro.

“I told Matt I wouldn’t go if you didn’t come with me,” he reassured Keith. Of course, Shiro would have thought of everything.

Keith quirked an eyebrow, confusion written all over his face.

“But… aren’t you and Matt supposed to be…”

The sheepish look, a rare thing that Keith loved so much, returned on Shiro’s face.

“Yeah, about that,” Shiro’s face was bright scarlet. Keith had only seen him this flustered a few times. Well, at least in non-sexual terms. Shiro did his best to gather his composure, before forcing the words out. “We needed to come up with an excuse for why you’d be joining us, and so you and I will be-”

He paused. Took a deep breath. Then spoke the single word that sent ice through Keith’s veins.

“Brothers.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long. Jugging writing a fic alongside being a full-time grad student was a bit ambitious of me, but I'm enjoying writing this so much! I hope you like this chapter!

Hazy sunlight filtered through the open curtains into the small bedroom. Specs of dust danced in the morning air.

Tucked warmly under the covers, Keith lazily blinked his eyes open. He was nestled against Shiro’s side, legs intertwined, his face resting on a pillow shoved between his head and Shiro’s arm. Squeezing his eyes shut, he nuzzled further against Shiro, reveling in the heat radiating from his body.

A slightly anxious feeling was creeping up from his stomach. Thoughts still fuzzy, Keith tried to recall the events of the previous day. The knot forming in his stomach tightened as it all came back in a rush.

Oh, right. Brothers…

That one fucking word. What Keith would give to scrub it out of his memory. He bit down on his tongue, forcing down the anxiety crawling up his throat. He had sworn to himself last night, lying sweaty and exhausted in bed next to an equally worn-out Shiro, that he would be supportive of his partner through this whole crazy endeavor.

Pulling his hair out the entire time from stress and the lack of sex? Yes. But still supportive.

He groaned, lightly butting his forehead into the side of Shiro’s chest. Shiro grunted, shifting slightly. Keith peeked up to see his boyfriend lovingly looking down at him, eyes half-lidded and still heavy with sleep.

“Morning,” Shiro mumbled, craning his neck to plant a soft kiss on Keith’s head. Keith smiled contently. Waking up next to Shiro had been the thing he had looked forward to most when agreeing to move in with the taller man; the domesticity of it something he once loudly criticized, but now cherished more than anything else.

Keith shifted, resting his chin on Shiro. Oh so slowly, the two gravitated closer, until their lips met. They kissed languidly, bodies pressed close. Shiro’s hand traced slow circles up Keith’s back, as Keith reached to gently cup his face.

Shiro pulled away, still so close that their breath mingled together.

“We should get up,” he said hesitantly, still cradling the quiet moment between them. “We’re meeting Matt at the train station in a few hours.” Ever the voice of reason.

Keith frowned. “Or…” he trailed off, moving his head down to pepper open-mouthed kisses along his partner’s neck. “We could stay right here…” He felt Shiro gulp as his hand snaked further and further down the man’s body. Shiro grabbed Keith’s hip, seeming unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer. Keith’s fingers daintily ghosted over Shiro’s thighs, teasing the other.

Shiro tensed, sputtering out a strangled “Keith!”

Keith smirked against his neck, boldly gripping his boyfriend’s bare cock. He felt Shiro’s grip on him tighten.

“Keith,” he repeated, tone stern. Keith sighed, halting his lips’ movement on skin, his hand staying exactly where it was. He quirked an eyebrow, clearly unamused. Eyes locked, the silent argument passed between them.

Seconds ticked by steadily. With a dejected sigh, Shiro’s eyelids feel, breaking the contact. Before Keith could relish in his victory, he was suddenly flipped, bouncing a bit as his back hit the mattress.

One of Shiro’s hands clutched his ass, the other (his prosthetic, Keith noted, the metal cool against his skin) yanking his wrists above his head. Their lips met in a harsh kiss, Shiro all but devouring Keith’s mouth. A moan escaped through Keith’s open lips.

Keith pulled back, panting. “I thought we had to get up,” he teased.

“Shut up,” Shiro growled, silencing Keith’s laugh with rough kisses.

____________________________________________________________________________

Eventually, they did get out of bed.

The crisp November air was unforgiving, finding its way through the many layers of clothes currently draped on Keith’s small frame. It tickled his skin, prompting him to further lean into Shiro, stealing as much body heat as he could from the living furnace that was his partner.

Bags resting at their feet, they waited on the crowded train platform. Looking around, Shiro tried to spot the messy brown hair signifying his best friend. Keith attempted to help at first, but because of his short nature (really, he wasn’t that short, unless he was being compared to the monster that was Shiro), he couldn’t see over people’s heads, even when standing on his toes. Instead he pouted behind his overly large scarf, clutching his third coffee cup of the day in a vice-like grip, his fingers losing feeling from the bitter wind. Shiro had chided him multiple times for wearing his fingerless gloves when the temperature started to drop, but he had stubbornly refused to accept any pair of “normal” gloves that were shoved at him.

Just as he was about to vocally complain about the cold, again, Shiro nudged him. Slinging his duffle over his shoulder, Shiro waved to someone squeezing their way through the crowd. Keith followed suit, and turned to see a boy slightly taller than he was with wind-swept hair that stuck out at odd angles coming towards them, waving it return to Shiro. He stopped in front of them, hand letting go of his questionably large suitcase to push his round, wire-frame glass back up his nose.

“What’s up, man!” he said, fist-bumping with Shiro before pulling him in for a quick hug. Shiro chuckled.

“Good to see you too, Matt,” he replied, the fondness crystal clear in his voice. Keith shuffled his feet, eyes to the ground, suddenly self-conscious.

He felt Shiro’s hand touch his shoulder gently. Keith looked up to find Matt’s bright eyes locked onto him.

“Matt, this is my boyfriend, Keith. Keith, this is Matt,” Shiro introduced the two. Keith shook Matt’s hand, the other seeming to be way too excited for someone standing outside in thirty degree weather. He sipped his coffee, both to warm up and to give himself a moment to calm his slowly fraying nerves.

“Hey,” Keith mumbled. Shiro raised a questioning eyebrow, frowning slightly. Keith knew that expression.

Are you ok?

The edges of his lips quirking up in the smallest of smiles, Keith nodded his head slightly. Reassured, Shiro turned back to Matt, who was frantically typing away on his phone.

“So we clearly have a lot to talk about,” Matt said, eyes still on his phone. He frowned, shoving his phone into his pocket before looking up at the other two.

Before either could say anything, a voice announced the approaching train. It slowed to a stop, the three hurrying onto the train. Matt took the lead, scanning for open seats that would accommodate them and his ridiculous luggage. Finding a set of four seats facing each other, the three squeezed in, somehow managing to play a game of tetris with the bags. Matt’s suitcase took up an entire seat, with him next to the window, Keith across from him and Shiro next to his boyfriend.

“So yeah, logistics,” Matt said. Keith would rather have talked about anything else, the knot in his stomach from the morning starting to return.

Keith zoned out a bit, gazing out the window as the other two discussed. He felt Shiro hold his hand, intertwining their fingers. He gave Keith’s hand a gentle squeeze.

The train had passed many stops before the sound of Keith’s name snapped him out of his daydreaming.

“-- ok, Keith?” he heard, not catching the beginning of what Matt had asked.

When Keith stayed silent, his face painted with confusion, Shiro valiantly came to his rescue.

“We’re going to try and stick as close to our actual stories as we can,” he explained. “Our lie is that my parents adopted you when you were in high school, so by then I’d have already been at the Garrison. That way we won’t have to come up with any childhood stories on the spot.”

Keith nodded his head. “Makes sense. At least I’ve already met your parents.”

That got a chuckle out of Shiro. “Yeah, that was definitely an interesting Christmas.”

There was clearly a story behind his words, especially considering the looks being shared between the two, but Matt pushed his curiousity down to focus on the problem at hand.

“That will hopefully be enough to satisfy my parents need for backstory,” Matt huffed, tapping away on his phone again. “Though there is one more thing…” He locked eyes with Shiro before continuing, “You two will be hands-off the entire weekend.”

Shiro quirked an eyebrow, mouth opening to speak.

“I’m not done!” Matt interrupted, Shiro immediately shutting his mouth. Keith hid a smile behind his coffee cup. He’d never seen anyone able to shut his boyfriend up faster.

Crossing his arm, the boy continued. “Once you step off this train, you’re brothers. No hand holding, no mushy looks; and for fuck’s sake, keep it in your pants!”

Keith blinked owlishly, stunned to silence. The man next to him was a different story.

“Oh c’mon, Matt,” Shiro droned, “We know how much this means to you. Have a little faith.”

He scoffed. “You forget I was your roommate since we were first years. You could barely keep it down for five fucking minutes. Like remember that one time with the third year--”

“Okay, okay!” Shiro yelped, throwing himself off the seat to cover his friend’s mouth with his hand. His face was bright red.

Grabbing his shoulder to pull him back, Keith pulled him off of Matt. “No, wait, I want to hear this!”

“Well you see, Shiro really had the hots for this third year in our Engineering 103 class, and--”

“That’s enough,” Shiro barked, the stern command in his voice leaving no room for questioning. The blush was still evident on his face. Matt just sighed, rolling his eyes, and returned to his phone.

Keith, on the other hand, felt a jolt of electricity shoot right through him, straight down to his groin. Fuck, he really loved when Shiro used that tone.

Now’s not the time, he reminded himself. Not there would be “a time” during the next few days.

Oblivious to the embarrassment he caused his best friend, or simply not feeling any remorse, Matt continued as if the incident never happened.

“Anyway, case in point. Keith, keep him under control, please.”

He smirked, winking at his boyfriend. “No promises.”

Shiro groaned, resigned. These two were going to make his life a living hell.

The train ride was relatively calm after that. Shiro was pleased to find that Matt and Keith got along swimmingly, despite Keith’s initial quiet nature. Unfortunately, most of their conversations centered on trying to one-up the other in a game of “find the most embarrassing story of Shiro.”

Their merriment did come to an end sooner than wanted, scenery that was rushing by slowing until they could see the platform closing in. An anxious air settled over the three as they grabbed their bags, getting ready to depart. Knot wriggling in his stomach, Keith was starting to regret drinking all of that coffee, his nerves buzzing.

Once off the train, the locomotive whooshing away behind them, Matt headed towards the stairs to the crowded parking lot, already talking on his phone.

Shiro made to follow his friend, but was stopped when Keith’s hand shot out, latching onto Shiro’s larger one. Looking down at his boyfriend, concern bubbled up inside. Keith seemed so small right now, so lost, the worry clear on his face.

“Hey,” Shiro said softly. Keith’s gaze drifted up to meet his, eyes wide. He couldn’t seem to hide his fear, especially from Shiro. But then again, when had he ever been able to?

Keith felt Shiro pull him close, wrapping his large arms around Keith’s small frame. Keith nuzzled into Shiro, his nose brushing the man’s jaw. Enveloped in warmth, Keith felt his pulse slow, calm even for just a brief moment.

Fingers under his chin tilted his head up, and Keith welcomed the lips that brush oh so gently against his own. His arms snaked around Shiro’s waist, gripping his hips tightly.

Parting, Shiro rested his forehead against Keith’s. Their breath mingled in the air between them.

“We will get through this,” Shiro reassured, so confident that Keith found he was starting to believe him.

“Yeah,” he whispered, voice wavering. Kissing his forehead, Shiro cupped Keith’s face.

“We will,” he repeated. “Remember, Keith, patience yields focus.”

Keith snorted at that, the two kissing through smiles. Pulling apart, Shiro playfully slapped his boyfriend’s ass before following after Matt, who was waiting at the edge of the parking lot, animatedly talking on his phone.

He hung up, dramatically spinning around.

“That was my Dad,” he explained, looking between Shiro and Keith, who had caught up with them. “He’s pulling the car up now, so get any of your gay bullshit out of the way now.”

Shiro raised a hand to his chest in mock-hurt. His friend just laughed before turning away, giving the two the semblance of privacy.

Keith wasted no time crushing his lips against Shiro’s. The kiss held as much hunger and longing as a short embrace could. All the love and passion and fire that the couple knew they’d have to keep hidden, what they both knew would be so damn hard to hide.

Since their relationship started, Shiro had watched the quiet young man he had found so intriguing bloom at his touch. Keith came to life around him; Shiro saw all of Keith, all which was behind the walls he had built to protect himself from the rest of the world. And in return, Keith had been a safe haven for Shiro. He had listened and held him when it was late at night and Shiro was cold, shaking, breathing so fast, the nightmare still flashing behind his eyes. Keith had stayed up with him during the all-nighters when Shiro was chugging on with his thesis paper, blinking bloodshot eyes and sipping lukewarm coffee.

Shiro recalled a time during his first year at the Garrison, one night where he and Matt had snuck cheap beer into their room. They had drunkenly laughed at the other students in their dorm, raving about their most recent dates. They weren’t slaving their asses off at the Garrison to fuck people, Matt had said, Shiro nodding along emphatically. Love wasn’t something that they could allot time to here. Love wasn’t a thing Shiro had even considered, at least, not until Keith walked into his life.

It still amazed him that his life could have changed so much in such a short time, but Shiro wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. His relationship with Keith had survived through so much already, and he knew they’d make it through this.

Pulling apart, Shiro placed a gentle kiss on his boyfriend’s forehead. Steeling themselves, the two joined Matt waiting on the curb. He led them to a moderate-looking car that was pulling up to the curb. The car stopped, and a middle-aged man who Keith assumed to be Matt’s dad got out of the car to help them with their suitcases.

“Dad, this is my boyfriend, Takashi Shirogane,” Matt introduced. Shiro shook Mr. Holt’s extended hand.

“Pleased to meet you, and please call me Shiro,” Shiro said. He then pointed to Keith, adding, “and this is my brother, Keith.”

Keith took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart. The game had officially begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to do my best to get the next chapter out faster than this one. Next chapter we meet Pidge, Hunk, and Lance!
> 
> If you want, you can follow me on twitter and tumblr.

**Author's Note:**

> Pls don't kill me...
> 
> (I'm going to try and get the next chapter out soon! I am a full-time grad student, so please be patient if it takes a bit!)
> 
> (Also feel free to follow & talk to me on [tumblr](http://www.goldenringboy.tumblr.com) )


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